1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system including an image processing apparatus having a plurality of functions.
2. Description of Prior Art
Image processing apparatuses such as a copying machine, a printer, a multi-functional peripheral (hereinafter referred to as MFP) and the like are used widely. For example, a copying machine copies an image of a document, and a printer prints an image data received from a host computer. Recently, the number of functions equipped in an image processing apparatus is increased, and the performance and the quality of the functions thereof become higher. Besides the conventional copying and printing, it is widely used to store data of a document image read by a scanner or to transmit it to an external apparatus. Further, a file of image data may be outputted after the image data is subjected to color conversion. By providing such functions in an image processing apparatus, it is not necessary to have apparatuses of exclusive use. Then, the space thereof in an office is decreased, the cost thereof is decreased, and a system including such an image processing apparatus is simplified.
When a plurality of functions equipped in an image processing apparatus are used, a job is generated for each function. For example, when a copying function is used, a copy job is generated, and when a facsimile transmission is used, a facsimile transmission job is generated besides the copy job. In this case, different jobs are performed on the same document, and it is needed to read the document twice. In order to solve this problem, in the MFP described in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2000-307834, copying and facsimile transmission can be performed simultaneously after reading a document once.
In a printer described in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2000-20270, in order for a user at a remote terminal to confirm a print result easily, a image file received from the remote terminal is printed, while the printed image data is converted and stored to a format of Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) or portable document format (PDF), and a print job data of the image data including a uniform resource identifier in the network is sent back to the host computer. The printed image data can be checked by the host computer with use of the uniform resource identifier. In a printer described in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2002-94784, after a raster image generated from the input data is printed, the raster image is converted to a general image format and stored in the image processing apparatus. Thus, it becomes easier to transmit the image data.
As the functions equipped for an image processing apparatus become various, it is proposed to have an account for each function (or service). For example, in a service system described in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2002-330253, accounting is performed for each service such as printing, file format conversion or file transmission on the same image data.
In the above-mentioned printer described in Japanese Patent laid open Publication 2000-20270, an image data is printed, while its file format is changed and stored. The image data obtained by the file format conversion is stored in a storage device designated by the user. Therefore, it is necessary for a user to designate the storage device. Further, in order to confirm the result of the file format conversion or to replace the converted file with the original file, it is necessary for the user (or the image processing apparatus) to access the storage device, and to transmit the converted file thereto. As explained above, when two among a plurality of functions are used, the operation for instructing the two functions is troublesome for a user. Therefore, when a plurality of functions equipped in an image processing apparatus is used on an image data received from an external apparatus, it is desirable to simplify the operation therefor.